Regarding package-removal

Hello again, I'll probably be making a ton of threads asking about things nobody really cares about due to being prone to poking around a bit. On that note, I'm a recent full-time convert to Lubuntu 13.10 from Windows XP and testing several Linux distros for weeks.

Back in M$-Win, I had a file-shredder called CCleaner which allowed one to free space via overwriting "deleted" data and turning it into actual free space; thing is, certain programs were never removed entirely from you system unless you paid attention. By that I mean, even after going to your Control Panel, removing the program, and deleting the corresponding folder in the "Program Files" directory, there were still traces of whatever you got rid of in %appdata% for example.

Now here's my first question, does (L)Ubuntu truly remove a package and all related data when you tell it to? or are there hidden corners where breadcrumbs fall and you have to manually sweep them out of the HDD?

Furthermore, is a file-shredder something a (L)Ubuntu user might want? and if so, are there any available?

Re: Regarding package-removal

nLpPyXR;

Package removal: answer -> yes and no. If one wants a package completely removed one must explicitly tell the system to do so, the system assumes you may have a reason to hang onto customized config files. To remove all files .. in the GUI methods choose to "completely remove"; command line is to use the option "--purge".

File shedder, nope as it serves no purpose as in linux (inodes) when a file is removed it is gone gone, and that space is immediately available to be used. References to that data has been unlinked.

Housekeeping in 'buntu is light and if one watches disk usage - rarely needed

Re: Regarding package-removal

does (L)Ubuntu truly remove a package and all related data when you tell it to? or are there hidden corners where breadcrumbs fall and you have to manually sweep them out of the HDD?

None of the package managers will touch data in the user's home folder, usually stored in "dot files" so-called because a "." prepends their file names, meaning they are hidden. You can see them in terminal with

Code:

ls -a

or in Nautilus with Ctrl-h. If you want these files and/or folders removed you will have to do it manually.

There's a shred command you can use in terminal,

Code:

man shred

for more info. If you're looking for something more than that, check out the package secure-delete.

Re: Regarding package-removal

thank you all for your answers. One more question regarding the subject matter at hand:

Say I remove Startup Disk Creator, the XFCE Power Manager that comes with Lubuntu, or any other package via --purge or otherwise, is there any risk of screwing up my system due to removal of related packages other apps might still need/use?

I mean, how safe is it to kill stuff that comes as default (or not) with your install?

Re: Regarding package-removal

nLpPyXR; YUK !

Tearing down is not recommended, as you have surmised there are dependency issues to deal with, removing a application and the dependencies of one application will most often remove some other(s) application. This may have serious adverse impacts on the operating system at large.

Build up is the way to go ! Once you have some familiarity with linux, install the "core" (minimal install) and add the applications to this basic install as you require/want.

Re: Regarding package-removal

Originally Posted by nLpPyXR

Say I remove Startup Disk Creator, the XFCE Power Manager that comes with Lubuntu, or any other package via --purge or otherwise, is there any risk of screwing up my system due to removal of related packages other apps might still need/use?

I'm not familiar with the programs you mention, but sudo apt-get purge <package> should give you a list of packages to be removed, and will ask you to confirm. If I had to guess I'd say it's safe to remove the disk creator app, but removing power management could be problematic. To be sure, you should post the terminal output here and let us take a look at it before committing to anything.

Re: Regarding package-removal

I'm guessing that "Lubuntu-Desktop" is rather important and shouldn't be removed... hmm, if only there was a way to make the power manager work properly; I can't seem to get it to not turn off my screen after 10 minutes of inactivity, and I tend to watch a lot of long videos.